The Great Eight: MLB starters with sub-2.00 ERAs

May 16, 2013

If early returns are any indication, 2013 could be the year of the pitcher in Major League Baseball. Eight starting pitchers have totaled at least 50 innings and have earned-run averages below 2.00. How special is that? Well, consider that the last six Cy Young Award winners posted an average ERA of 2.45. And while eight starters with a sub-2.00 ERA is a crazy number at this point in the season, three pitchers came up just short of joining the club — Anibal Sanchez of the Tigers (2.05), Madison Bumgarner of the Giants (2.18), and Travis Wood of the Cubs (2.03). Here are the eight starters who are playing two-below.

(Editor's note: This was originally The Nasty Nine, but Detroit's Justin Verlander gave up eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against Texas on Thursday and saw his ERA rise from 1.93 to ... 3.17. Ouch.)

Shelby Miller, Cardinals5-2, 1.40 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 51.1 innings pitched, 9.99 K/9The 22-year-old has nine career starts. And they all have been awesome.

zimmermann

Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals7-1, 1.69 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 58.2 innings pitched, 5.98 K/9If you said before the season that Zimmerman would be better than Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, you are a fibber.

kershaw

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers4-2, 1.40 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 64.1 innings pitched, 9.37 K/9Kershaw is so good he can almost make you forget the Dodgers are in last place. Almost.